From Arkansas & OK

[KNAPPer]

I just don't have the extra vinegar or whatever it takes to comment on your recent posts. During Christmas, my dear wife and I along with three little dogs went on a camper trailer trip to the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge. It is such a beautiful place. The mountains rise from the rolling planes of S. central OK in weathered granite mountains, one named Mount Scott is 2,400 feet. The Monument dates from the early 1900s when they began to reintroduce bison, elk, white-tailed deer, turkeys and wild longhorn cattle. We saw all of them and the turkeys would let you walk up to them since none of them have ever been hunted. Same with the deer except they were more wary. The elk plain hid out, but we saw two. The last day (12/27), it snowed and Jani took pictures of buffalo with a dusting of snow on their back. It was a great memorable trip and so that this will be political, I think that USFW is doing a fantastic job and making this refuge open to everyone and providing campgrounds is a really great thing. 

Night before last we got down to about 9° "down in the Arkansas." That's cold but I know some of you guys were probably wishing for that much.

Happy New Year everyone - KNAPPer.

[wehav]

Nice post.

The site could use  lot more of that kind and informative post. Yours is probably one of the first posts in a long time on this site that has persuaded me.  Sounds like an interesting place to visit.

Only wish you could have resisted the urge or necessity to write the first sentence.

[schnurrbart]

Knapper is the Meers burger still out there? When I was at Ft Sill in the late 70s, that was always a treat. Dinner plate size hamburgers!!

[KNAPPer]

Meers is still there serving home raised longhorn burgers. Great place to eat!

[KNAPPer]

Thank you.

[schnurrbart]

I guess the last time I ate there would have been 1977 shortly before deploying to Germany. Glad to hear it is still operating. The one thing other than the burgers that remember about the place was an autographed picture of Gabby Hayes hanging on the wall.

[schnurrbart]

The Wichita Mt Wildlife Refuge is a great place to visit and if you find Meers, it is a good place to eat also. Lots of animals and usually very visible. Ft Sill is also there and a good artillery museum. Geronimo was held there so there is a lot of history there.

[bruce MN]

We treasure those “driving trips” and have a huge pile of memories.

Not so sure that they are as popular as once.  It seems that flying or staying on the freeway for destinations is much more. 

We went on 2 in ‘17.  One up through Easren Canada and more recently to South Texas. Had some time coming home on the later and avoided DFW and took state and old US highways west of there until we got up to the OK border.  Thanks for the tip.  Nest time we’ll stay West and allow more time. There obviously has to be a more interesting route through Kansas than the Turnpike and better bistros than McD and Hardee’s.

Fun hearing the kids tell us now about how they like to get off the freeway for a while when headed somewhere and see more “interesting things”.  Like they thought of doing that themselves. 🙂

[hardnox]

Lol. I remember one time I decided I wanted to take what I think is NE Hwy 2 through the sandhills on the way back from the Black Hills.

I liked it but the views of nothing but grassy dunes and a windmill every few miles almost drove the troops to mutiny.

I do have a great fondness for our collective spaces and the people who tend to them- you know- The Deep State.

[schnurrbart]

Travel the blue highways for a great time!!